Leave Attic Fan Open Over Winter

Open your windows before you turn on the fan.

Leave attic fan open over winter.

Opening your attic access panel will draw that air into the attic and help to push the hot air up there and out through the roof vents assuming you have proper attic ventilation. Cooler outdoor air enters through open windows lowering the indoor temperature. Insulation at least r 38 or more is there for heating and cooling. This allows air to move through the rafter space for good ventilation.

My home has a whole house fan installed in the upstairs hallway ceiling when its cool at night that thing can suck the heat out of the house in record time. Doing so in attempts to keep cold air out disrupts attic ventilation leading to moisture issues. Ice dams attic fans even with good attic insulation heated air from living spaces can build up in your attic. An attic fan in winter can help prevent ice dams reduce moisture in your attic during winter months and prevent mold and mildew buildup due to moisture problems in the attic.

Best ventilation is open soffit venting to a open vented ridge vent. In the late evening or early morning the fan is turned on to exhaust hot air from the house. As you know cold air settles and hot air rises. It even rained and the sill got wet but not the floor.

Do not cover your attic vents for the winter. Make sure the space between the top of insulation and the roof deck s underside is clear at the eaves. A whole house fan is usually installed on the attic floor near the center of your house. Instead it will merely cause a build up of moisture and heat that can cause other more troubling conditions in your home come spring.

But that is seldom the case resulting in conditioned air being sucked from the living space to make up the difference. Shutting the vents in your attic during the winter isn t going to help you hang on to too much heat where you actually want it in the living areas of your home. One last thought attic ventilation is not there to get rid of heat it is there to get rid of excess moisture accumulating from the home. Opening your automatic garage door will let cool air and a draft in.

Ridge vent must me installed per the manufactures instructions. After leaving the attic window open overnight it was amazing how cool it got in there. Small attic vents located below the roof peaks provide sufficient ventilation to let the moisture created by heat rising into the. During cold winter months the attic vent fan is not necessary.

If you have an attic fan and used it while the access door to the attic in the garage was open that access door amply supplied the cfm intake needed by the fan.